Electronic computers house a variety of electronic components such as printed circuit boards, an internal modem, connectors, a ventilation fan, a power supply and the like. Typically, the fan is located at an outlet side of the power supply so that air is drawn through the power supply to cool it before being expelled out of the enclosure. Each of these components is mounted to a chassis which is located inside an external housing or enclosure. The enclosure also protects the exposed components from physical contact and shields the components from electromagnetic interference.
The electrical components of the computer generate a significant amount of heat during operation. In smaller enclosures, the watt density of other electronic components on densely packaged cards is large enough to cause them to overheat without adequate airflow across their respective heatsinks. Prior art computers have addressed this issue by employing a secondary ventilation fan. Unfortunately, an additional fan may create an unacceptable acoustically noisy operating condition. Although existing designs are workable, an improved cooling system for computers is needed.